Nativity of the Theotokos.

Grace beginneth to produce splendid
fruit.

The all-holy mountain.

Sept 8/21 2009

O wondrous miracle! / The well-spring of Life
is born of the barren woman, / and grace beginneth to produce splendid fruit. /
Be glad, O Joachim, / as thou art the father of the Theotokos! / There is none
to compare with thee among mortal parents, O God-pleaser! / For the Maiden who
contained God, / the divine dwelling-place, the all-holy mountain, // hath been
given to us by thee!(Nativity of the Theotokos, Matins,
Praises, Tone I, spec. mel.: "O wondrousmiracle")

Reader Nicholas and I discussed this sticheron at vigil tonight.
We agree that an exegesis of the phrase “and grace beginneth to produce splendid
fruit”would be very interesting and
edifying.

I
think that the “grace” mentioned is that which caused a barren
woman (St Anna) to be with child, and the “splendid fruit” is the
Theotokos, being formed in Anna’s womb.

Another interpretation, is, after the“well-spring of life is(has been)born”,
the grace of God is working within her (the Theotokos) to prepare her to
produce the “splendid fruit”, the God-man, Jesus Christ

In
either case, the sheer beauty of the thoughts in this sticheron is a balm to
the soul.

How
can we mortals, with our small thoughts understand how the Theotokos could
become a“divine
dwelling place”? We know this to be
true, although we cannot understand it, because we are not holy. It is a
Christian dogma that Mary, a mortal woman, gave birth to God, that is, Jesus
Christ, God and man. How can this be? We can sing ten thousand hymns and never
understand it, but we do not need to completely understand beauty to be
profoundly moved and changed by it.

The
last reference to the Theotokos in this hymn is that she is “the all-holy
mountain” This is from the psalms:

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, in his holy mountain. (2)The city of the great King is well planted on the
mountains of Sion, with the joy of the whole earth, on the sides of the
north.(Psalm 47:1-2,
Sept, Brenton)

Our
services are full of references to the Theotokos as the “all-holy
mountain”. Another similar psalm verse that is a “type” of
the Theotokos is:

The mountain of God is a butter mountain, a
curdled mountain, a butter mountain. Why suppose ye that there be other curdled
mountains? This is the mountain wherein God is pleased to dwell, yea, for the
Lord will dwell therein to the end. (Psalm 67:15-16, Sept, Boston)